Big rise in android malware
August 16, 2012 by Network Security
Filed under Android
The variety of new malicious applications focusing on the Android operating system has almost tripled in the second quarter of the year, according to Kaspersky Lab. Over the three months we are talking about, over 14,900 new harmful applications focusing on Android users were included to Kaspersky Lab’s datbase.
These research shows that virus writers are increasingly concentrating on developing harmful applications for mobile phone gadgets.
Nearly half (49 per cent) of these harmful files focusing on Android operating system gadgets were multi-functional Trojan’s that collect data from phones (contact names, contact information, telephone numbers, etc.), and are also capable of installing additional modules from servers run by cybercrooks.
A quarter of the recognized Android malware was made up of SMS Trojan’s. These harmful applications grab money from victims’ accounts by delivering SMS messages to premium-rate numbers without the owner’s knowledge or approval.
Many years ago, these applications could be only found in the former USSR, South-East Asia and China. Today, they are all around the world: in Q2 2012, Kaspersky Lab secured customers in 47 countries against SMS risks.
18 % of Android operating system threats recognized in the second quarter of this year are backdoors that provide to malicious users the ability to gain full control over an compromised device. These applications are used to build botnets of mobile devices. For now, only some small Android risks are Trojan Spy applications – just 2 % of the total.
However, these are the harmful applications that present the greatest risk to customers. These applications are on the search for the most valuable data that provide for cybercrooks access to banking accounts.
“In the near future, we expect not only more malware, but more effective and dangerous malware targeting Android. Judging from existing trends, we should expect that cybercriminals will soon shift to more personalised attacks. This is primarily about malware hunting for confidential data with which to steal money from users’ credit cards”, said Yuri Namestnikov, Senior Malware Analyst at Kaspersky Lab.
